THUNDERBIRDS SHOW A LOT OF HEART & FIRE IN A 20-6 VICTORY OVER LINDENHURST.

Posted Sunday, October 10, 2010 by Michael Konsevitch

The Thunderbirds improved to 4-1 with a convincing 20-6 victory over Lindenhurst on Saturday. The team was led by a ferocious defense that held a great offense to only one score, had five quarterback sacks, and had two timely interceptions. In their four wins this season, the Thunderbirds have held their opponent to under 100 yards of total offense in the second half. Lindenhurst gained 81 yards of offense in the second half on Saturday.

There were many players who put forth an outstanding performance on Saturday led by Mike Pellegrino. Offensively, Pellegrino was a running machine rushing for 145 yards on 21 carries and scoring two touchdowns. His touchdown run of 74 yards opened the scoring in the second half. It was an excellent run and displayed the great speed that he has. He now has 780 yards of offense and nine touchdowns this season. Defensively he was like a caged tiger released, making 17 tackles and getting after the quarterback with 3 sacks. He provided great pressure all afternoon and now leads the team with 7 sacks on the season.

Tommy McInerney continued with his outstanding season making some great plays on offense and being a force on defense from his safety position. Offensively he contributed with two receptions for 52 yards, one being a 50-yard reception that had some great running after the catch. Defensively, he was an absolute beast. He made two great interceptions, had a quarterback sack, forced a fumble, had two tackle for losses, and made six tackles. T-Mac now has seven interceptions on the season, which leads all of Suffolk County.

Kevin Jadick has enjoyed an impressive year at his quarterback position. He has made some great throws all year and has been a terrific leader on and off the field all season. Saturday was no different. He was 6 of 8 passing, a 75% completion percentage, for 143 yards and had a one-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter to put the team up by 14. His throw to Steve Compitello in the 4th quarter was one of the best throws of the year. On the season Jadick has completed 60% of his passes and has thrown for four touchdowns and ran for two more.

Joe Cirrone continued his amazing season at his middle linebacker position leading the team with 18 tackles and 1 quarterback sack. All season Cirrone has been all over the field. He has made some great tackles, is quick to the ball, and understands how to play defense. He leads the team with 85 tackles, an average of 17 tackles a game. That is a real impressive stat.

Other players who enjoyed great games were Steve Compitello who had two receptions for 67 yards, one a beautiful 50-yard pass play that led to the touchdown in the 4th quarter. He, also, provided terrific coverage from his safety position. Mike Pinto had one reception for 15 yards, three tackles, broke up two passes, and provided great coverage all afternoon. Nick Cascio had a reception for nine yards, played well at his first game at fullback, and had six tackles from his defensive end position. Kenny Drew did a good job blocking on the offense and defensively had a tackle for loss, broke up a pass, and provided a solid pass rush at times. Dan Pamlanye continued his excellent season doing another fantastic job on the offensive line and defensively he had four tackles and was a tough man to block for Lindenhurst. Elvis Marchand had another great game offensively and had three tackles and a tackle for loss. T.J. DeGirolamo did another solid job at center and made some very good plays on defense. Nick Reisig had another excellent game defensively. He made five strong tackles and had great coverage all afternoon. Mike Cella had a touchback and two PAT's in the second half showing how strong his leg is.

The Thunderbirds have enjoyed an outstanding season thus far. At 4-1 they are currently in 2nd place in Division I and ranked 8th in Suffolk County according to Newsday. The Thunderbirds host Sachem East this Saturday at 2 pm. It is Senior Day at Connetquot, always a special day for the seniors and their parents. The ceremony starts at 1:25 and will honor the many unbelievable seniors we have this year.